Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Why does Rameck throw pencils at the ceiling in his Catholic elementary school?

2. Sampson and his friends Nobody and Will think that playing what sport might be their ticket out of the projects?

3. When Rameck returns to public school in Chapter 5, which teacher helps him discover his passion for theater?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Sampson’s first introduction to medicine, as described in Chapter 1?

2. George’s third-grade teacher, Miss Johnson, gives her students an exceptional learning challenge when she gives them what assignment? What effect does this have on George and his classmates?

Paired Resource

Why Three Men from Newark Made a Promise to Become Doctors in High School

• In this 7-minute video, Tamron Hall interviews the three protagonists for her talk show, asking them about their pact to become medical doctors when they were just teenagers.
• All of the book’s core themes—the Power of Friendship, the importance of Learning and Education, and Second Chances—are touched upon in this clip.